Sickness Ties Us together
by Kabuki Warrior
Summary: Being Sick has always been hard, Especially when you're alone all day. But to Shinji, Being Sick may not be so bad with the help of a certain redhead taking care of him. My first Fic read and review please.
1. To Be Sick

Hello there O_o this is my first fic and english is not my mother language so please forgive me in some of my grammar and spelling. And I hope Y'all will review this. I'm just a newbie so please don't be harsh.

**Disclaimer: **Neon Genesis Evangelion Doesn't belong to me. But this story does, not that it's actually worth a dime, anyway... Voila!

* * *

Sunshine penetrated the small window of Shinji Ikari's room as the sun took its place in the sky among the scattered clouds. Thursday Morning started off like any other day it was on that week. No angels attacked Tokyo-3 that week, leaving all its citizens at momentary peace and serenity. Life was once again as it was before, students walking up the steep road towards their school, merchants fixing their goods to be sold that day and drivers in their cars honking away in the roads trying not to get late at their work.

**7:35am. **The alarm clock portrayed in its digital surface blinking red once then dims and continues on this pattern for a few seconds.

At this time a certain redhead girl was just coming out off the bathroom in her red towel surveying the kitchen. But something was off that day when the redhead scanned the area, no food can be found in the humble wooden table and no Misato trying to sober herself up and of course no Shinji preparing breakfast, instead a small note was found lying in the middle of the wooden table. The note aroused suspicion and curiosity to the redhead in which she took up into her hands and read aloud.

"I went to work earlier than expected; I'll be home around 8:00pm tonight. Be careful and be good. – Misato"

_Misato left early? That's new she doesn't even wake up at the morning and always in the noon. But if she left already where is that stupid Shinji?_

The redhead was immersed in thought before she screams "Mein gott don't tell me that stupid shinji actually left me behind?"

Furious, the fiery german girl dashed to her room to quickly change into her school uniform wishing that the uniform was as easy to dress in like her red Evangelion plugsuit. She was already running late but her complete look was never without the red neural clips. Looking at the reflection in the mirror she smiled to herself and now ready to leave Asuka took her bag and was going to make a dash for the door before–

~_fly me to the moon and let me play among the stars you are all I long for, all I worship and adore. In other words, hold my hand, in other words I love~_

"Hello? Misato? Yeah I'm just about to go to school but that stupid Shinji had the nerve to leave me behind!" Asuka complained to the handheld phone as she talks to Misato while hastily walking for the door which is just a few meters away.

"Wait what? Invincible Shinji-sama is sick? Ha! maybe be its some angel contamination that finally affected him" Asuka said playfully to Misato. But for a fleeting moment a feeling of uneasiness was seen in her face but was soon replaced with her usual proud façade.

"**Don't joke like that Asuka! Anyway I might not be back home until late so I can't take care of Shinji so you better take good care of him." **replied the tactical commander of Nerv in a brisk and firm voice. It was clear that Major Katsuragi wasn't in the mood for a joke like that.

"Yeah sure I'll take care of your favorite Shinji-sama _after_ I get back from school." a sarcastic reply from the redhead that is now walking towards the door. She was almost out of the door and into the street when she heard the loud reply of Misato saying.

"**Not going to happen Asuka Langley Souryu and don't bother arguing about the school because I already called them beforehand and they approved of you missing out for today"** remarked a serious Misato.

Scheisse! I am going to stay here on a lovely day like this taking care of that stupid Shinji instead of shopping with Kaji or even just hanging out with Hikari? Heck even just listening to the boring and pseudo lesson about the 2nd Impact is much better than to sit around here at the house.

But knowing that she can't argue with Misato now that she even used her full name to address her, she tried to accept her terms without of course lowering her pride.

"Hmp! I'll only do this once just because he helped me in during that magma dive" a proud reply from a proud girl.

"**Thanks Asuka you don't know how much this means."**

"Yeah Yeah I know, what would that wimp do without me, bye."

And with that their conversation was put to an end, and with it the school day of Asuka ended with it. Knowing that she'll no longer use her school uniform, she went back to her room to undress and put on something more comfortable. After putting on a white short and a simple pink shirt that says "See something you like?" she went to the kitchen to fetch a simple breakfast. Or try to get something to eat at the very least.

"hmm what can I eat for breakfast here?" Asuka thought aloud. She wasn't the best cook around because there was always someone to cook for her (Shinji Ikari of course) and everything was already in place before she even got up to eat breakfast. And of course there were no quick and easy to eat meals she can eat, and even if there was she will find it very hard to find amidst the towering cans of beer Misato has.

_How can Shinji even find all the things he needed to cook a decent meal in this mess?_

_Misato has got to learn **not** to cook or at least try to clean up after trying to._

Asuka now finds herself at loss at what to eat, and her stomach is already making noise that would embarrass her if someone were to hear the sound she made. Deciding to give up cooking a decent meal and just order something for breakfast or maybe lunch later she went ahead to sit in the couch and watch some T.V. the movie she was watching was almost halfway through when she remembered that she was suppose to take care of the sick Shinji. But before she even moved from her spot in the couch she was again in deep thought.

_How can you be sick on such a perfect day like this? There was never an outbreak of a disease within this week. _

_Hell this week must have been the most peaceful week we've had, no Angel attacks, no synchronization test and all that._

_What could possibly affect the almighty Shinji? Even Angels can't break down that weirdo._

_Hmmm what happened?_

"All this thinking is making me hungry, well better check on Shinji before his sickness turns for the worse" Asuka said with a little hint of genuine worry to the boy that saved her life a few times already. She relinquished her comfortable position in the couch and turned off the movie she was watching and headed to Shinji's room.

As she was making her way to Shinji's room she smelled the scent of rice being cooked and the smell of an actual food being prepared from the kitchen she left minutes ago. This meant either there was a ghost in their house that knows how to cook that decided to take pity on her or Shinji actually tried to get up despite his weak state to cook something for breakfast. And it was the latter of course.

Shinji Ikari, the Third Child and the Invincible pilot of the renowned Evangelion Unit 01 didn't notice the stare Asuka gave him. On the other hand Asuka was in a state of shock, and was feeling mixed emotions as she looked at the boy trying hard just to stand and not to stagger as he reached out for the spices he was about to use for cooking.

She felt like laughing at his awful attempts to keep himself balanced as he reached the top of the shelf, but she also felt a bit relief that Shinji's sickness wasn't as bad as she thought it was when she saw him humming an upbeat tune while cooking and also she just felt so hungry just from the aroma of the food he was desperately trying to cook.

But all these emotions remained inside her and the only emotion that was actually expressed was that of vivid anger that the whole household was quite used to now. She just can't show anybody her weak and vulnerable side.

"You Idiot Shinji!" was the words that destroyed the serene silence that Shinji experienced while cooking breakfast.

"A-a-asuka? why are you here? *cough* I thought you were already at school." A nervous and sickly reply from Shinji. Of course Asuka wouldn't tell shinji that she was suppose to take care of him, at least not now of course. Instead of giving the boy an immediate reply she briskly walked towards him stopping with her face almost touching his. The sudden intrusion of Shinji's personal space bothered him a lot and he was now sweating more and more. With the pressure from being so close to Asuka, Shinji can't help shiver inward and think of the worst case scenario.

Asuka now raised her hand in a manner to check for his temperature but Shinji misunderstood it and thought that he was going to be slapped, so he quickly closed his eye and prepared for the slap. But the soft and gently laid hand that now rested on his forehead surprised the scared boy that was now having a very hard time to keep himself standing. The touch he felt was so motherly and kind that he even thought that maybe the girl standing so close to him wasn't Asuka the red devil as his friends call her instead that of a gentle and nice girl but the thought quickly vanished when he heard the words coming out of her mouth.

"What do you think your doing huh?" said Asuka as she stepped back noticing that the close space was bothering Shinji. Him on the other hand was loss at words and his mind wasn't clearly processing what was said by Asuka. Deciding for the safe answer he said the obvious.

"c-cooking breakfast?" the answer was given and now he has to wait whether he got it right or wrong. And of course him being Shinji and her being Asuka, the answer only made the matter worse.

"I can see that Idiot! What I mean is that why the heck are you not resting your wimpy body in your room right now when you are clearly sick?" came the fast and strict reply from Asuka. Shinji was just about to answer the question when he smelled something wrong, something burnt. The rice was already burning and none of them noticed until smoked rose from it. The smoke alarmed both of them and struck the fear of having their smoke detector to activate and of course the fear of eating burnt rice, which isn't as good as a well done rice obviously.

"Asuka-"

"Shinji-"

In a few seconds Shinji tried to turn off the stove he was using, cursing in his mind on why did their automatic rice cooker broke just the night before. Asuka on the other hand dashed out of the room and ran towards the smoke detector to turn it of temporarily. Everything was finished in mere seconds and in perfect harmony. Looks like both of them are still synchronized.

After the crisis was averted, The long lecture of Asuka on how Shinji should just lay down again in his bed and get some sleep and of course the lecture about the burnt food. A few complains here and there from the seemingly wimpy boy, but was still forced to abide to Asuka's demands. A few phone calls from Touji, Kensuke and Hikari. And You'll find Asuka eating pizza lying down comfortably watching the movie she didn't finish. The day was moving as slowly as ever.

**8:55am.** The alarm clock portrayed in its digital surface blinking red once then dims and continues in this pattern for a few second.

Shinji Ikari was now lying in his bed back against the wall with his SDAT player beside him listening to some serene music trying his best to "recover" from his sickness. His position was almost the same as the position he woke up into besides his hands being tied at his back and both feet tied together. He looked at the digital clock and a single thought arose from him.

_Why the heck am I sick anyway?_

_Because of that I'm gonna be stuck with Asuka all day._

_Ughh This is going to be a looong day._


	2. To Worry or To Care

**9:14am**

The wall clock, mounted safely on the front wall of the classroom, seemed to be going slower than usual. Well, that is to the looks of the three young students in the class room that's not even bothering to listen to the lesson of the professor in front. The clock's hands seemed to linger in its place every time they look at it. And the professor, oblivious of what's going on with his students' minds, looked like an apparition lost in the mist of their thoughts.

"..and so class, the Second Impact happened when a great meteor strike the earth changing its axis and temperature-" Lectured an old veteran teacher that seems to be in his late 60's. He was just about to say something else when the bell rang, indicating the time for a quick break. The bell resounded throughout the whole school and of course, this was the moment the three students were longing for. As quickly as the bell sounded, the two young boys quickly met up to talk about something they both appear to worry about.

"What do you think happened to Shinji-kun, Toji?" A young student with glasses holding his video camera closely asked.

The tall guy in his jacket just shrugged clearly having no idea what happened. Across from the two boys talking to each other another student seemed to be in deep thought and was grinning to herself, as she thought about her best friend being alone together with the one guy that she thought would be perfect for her - Shinji and Asuka.

_Asuka must be feeding Shinji-kun his lunch at this time._

"Kyaaa!~" squealed the class representative, as she imagines how Asuka will feed the weak and sickly Shinji. It was playing on her mind that Asuka would be wearing a white apron, holding tenderly the pale face of the boy with her left hand and trying to spoon feed him with her right. Probably a small grain of rice will stuck to the boy's cheeks and Asuka picked it up then gently placed it in his mouth while of course blushing. The mere thought of the event happening easily awakened the fangirl-spirit inside the usually calm and strict Hikari.

Her sudden squeal resonated awkwardly inside the classroom, and afterwards, all were silent.

The eerie silence was soon broken by the sudden burst of laughing from the two who were sitting across the class rep. After a few more moments the class became normal again as the normal chit-chat filled the area. But the two guys were still laughing away at the unusual action of the class rep. This was soon over when the class rep walked towards Toji and slapped him hard on his right cheek.

"Hey! That hurts class rep!" complained Toji while he gently rubs the reddening cheek. Hikari, on the other hand, dismissed the comment from the boy and turned her head towards the now silent Kensuke. The Class reps stare gave him the chills, and trying not to get the same punishment as Toji had, he tried to avoid the topic of why she squealed like a little girl and instead, started a simple conversation with her.

"Do you know what happened to Shinji and Asuka?" He started off with a nervous smile.

"Yeah, Asuka said that Shinji was sick and had to stay at home. Asuka said that she'll take care of that idiot Shinji, as usual." She replied smoothly and with a little imitation of her friend Asuka. It seems that she's not that mad about the incident a little while ago.

"Yeah that's what she told us too when we tried calling Shinji's phone. We were surprised to hear Asuka answer the phone." confirmed Kensuke while looking his friend that now has a swelling cheek after being slapped by the class rep.

"..but don't you think it's strange that Asuka is going to take care of Shinji?" Toji managed to blurt out whilst still covering the red cheek.

"Strange? What are you talking about? It's natural that she'll take care of Shinji when he's sick because Asuka really lik—" the class rep stopped mid-sentence becoming aware that she was just about to tell Shinji's friends about their secret.

But the obvious evasion of the words didn't escape Kensuke's attentive ears. Just by hearing a few fragment of the words, he managed to put two and two together. The squeal of the class rep and the broken sentence that he was sure that will lead to "_Asuka really likes Shinji-kun_". Inside his mind, he was smirking devilishly as the thought of Shinji and Asuka being together crossed through. He was just about to say something to Hikari before Toji interrupted him with his loud voice saying-

"WHAT! ASUKA LIKES—"Toji was just about to say '_Shinji_' when his mouth was closed by the petite class rep. She'll never allow such thing to happen to her best friend's pride because of her little _Freudian slip_.

But the action proved too late as the whole class looked at the three in the middle of the room, one standing up with his hands slammed on a desk, the other directly in front of him closing his mouth with both her hands and the third adjusting his glasses with a sly grin to his face. The scenery was something you'll only see in a manga or an anime but was soon broken up by the bell signaling 5th Period.

* * *

"Hey Shinji~" a playful voice whispered into the sleeping boy's ears, the sweetness in the voice prompted him to awake and look closely at whose angelic voice it was. But before he even saw the face of the speaker soft and gentle hands began to cover his eyes. The action proved too much for the boy that shunned others, and thus resulted for his face to turn crimson red. Seeing how the boys face turned red, the girl holding the boy's eyes began to laugh lovingly at him. Her laughter was so beautiful that the boy was enchanted by it, it sounded like bells resounding in the quiet night.

"A-A-Asuka?" the nervous boy asked as he softly tried to take of the hands that is currently keeping his eyesight in check.

"Yes?~" The girl replied, her voice so melodic, that her words seemed to linger in his ears.

"Was it vodka? Or maybe Misato's beer?" asked the confused boy sitting up in his bed sweating hard and looking at the girl in front of him.

"No Shinji, I just feel that we should be together more often, you know, were all alone until 8pm." a smooth reply from the girl moving closer and closer to him.

Shinji smelled something really intoxicating coming from her direction. The smell lulled him into looking at her more intensely and make her look so much more beautiful. His body reacted to it as it tried to hold her hands and made his head move over to her red hair to breath in more of that perfume. It was like she wasn't Asuka anymore - it's like she was someone else with her body tempting him. Shinji tried to hold himself together but it was just too much for the adolescent boy - testosterone running through his body.

_"What Am I doing? This is Asuka I'm holding right now. I can't risk getting beaten up after all this." _ the boy thought as he tried to keep himself in control.

_"Stop lying to yourself, you know that you have always felt this way to her. You love her don't you?" _another voice inside of him said.

Shinji was feeling more and more confused. But his confusion was soon stopped when he felt something soft crash into his lips. Asuka was kissing him, and that was all it took to take every bit of sanity left in him. He can't hear anything, even the loud voices in his head, even the honks of the cars outside and he can't even hear the German words being shouted at him. Shinji was in paradise, or so he thought.

"Aufwachen dummkopf! If you don't wake up this instant, I'm going to pour this water over your face, idiot!"

Just like how a gently breeze passes by, the dream Shinji was having, already vanished before it ever finished. His dream was crushed, but at least the Asuka he knows still exist and she's right here in front of him. Slowly, Shinji forced himself to wake up from his slumbering state to face the reality in front of him. Now sitting up, he glanced at the alarm clock by his bed.

**1:09pm.**

"Ah, it's already noon." Shinji said nonchalantly as he looked outside the small window his room has.

"Isn't it obvious, third child? Now hurry up and eat your lunch! I have tons of things to do." Asuka said in her usual proud and irritated voice.

Hearing the usual voice of Asuka made Shinji feel contrasting emotions. He felt relief at that he's not dreaming of _that_ Asuka but also sad that _this_ Asuka isn't as sweet and gently as the one he met at the dream. Shinji just tried to abide by her rules and indulge in the food offered to him. It was a simple plate with two pizzas, some salad and a glass of water. It's not like he expected something grand from her, but at least it was _real food_, not something you expect from Asuka.

_"Better at least thank her for the food." _

"Asuka thanks for the foo-" So sudden was the change in atmosphere that it left Shinji speechless for a moment. A gust of wind blew from the small window and passed Asuka. Her hair swayed gently in the wind, her face a bit flustered by the cold but still retain it's usual calm nature, and her loose shirt looked like it was dancing with the wind. The sight he saw left him in awe, but what really captured his eyes was her lips as she tried to keep it moist by licking it gently. He almost licked his own lips as well before he caught himself from the action and proceeded to finish the sentence he was about to say.

"Thanks for the food, Asuka." He repeated the whole sentence just in case that Asuka didn't hear what he just said.

"Yeah. Yeah. Anyway, hurry up and finish! I wanna go to sleep again. Oh, and by the way, I checked your temperature when you were sleeping and it was still high. You were even turning red."

Shinji was left dumbfounded, Asuka soon went out of his room leaving Shinji alone again. He quickly tried to close window to prevent the cold wind from coming in again. As he walks towards the window, he noticed a bucket of water and a few towels lying around his room. He didn't need to be a psychic or a prophet to figure out that Asuka has been taking care of him while he was asleep.

That is one more thing he has to be thankful for. And, after closing the window he slowly went back to his bed to rest again.

_Staying in bed may not be so bad. Even reality can be sweet sometimes. _Shinji thought as he slowly went back to his slumber, now not wishing for the Asuka he met at the dream but rather wishing to see the sweetness that Asuka showed when he was asleep.

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***Authors Rant* mwahaha! Finally had the time to update, been sick all this time because of the cold weather. well anyway I'm not so sure about my german but try to google translate it. haha :D anyway I'll try to update soon. Thanks for the reviews! O_o**


	3. Rain will trap us together

Very Very Late Update, I had a very hard time these past few months. I'am really sorry! T_T anyway I'll try to update as soon as I can. So please continue to read an of course review! :D

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**3: 46 pm**

The once blue clouds up in the sky were already turning into dark ones, signaling rainfall any minute now. Asuka looked outside whilst sitting lazily at the floor with a few scattered empty bags of chips lying around. She kept herself entertained most of the time, from trying to clean up the mess in the kitchen to taking care of the sick Shinji. But this time, nothing can save her from sheer boredom, even the weather wasn't at her side. With the threat of rain, she really can't do anything besides sit around all day.

She stared at the darkening sky, as if waiting for some kind of miracle to happen. And something did happen, it rained. Subtle raindrops falling softly down from the heavens, the graceful ensemble of the wind and water enticed her for a few moment.

After a few seconds, the mere dance of the rain and water turned to an aggressive exchange of blows, Asuka then decided to close the window and return to the kitchen to brew up something hot for the cold weather. She paced towards the kitchen, looking briefly at the room she passed by at the course of going to the kitchen.

_I wonder if Shinji's alright, he turned quite red earlier when I checked his temperature, what a weirdo._

Even in her thoughts, Asuka just can't stop mocking Shinji, it must be in her blood. She heated up some water and proceeded to make herself some hot chocolate, but unfortunately she couldn't find any of the chocolate she needed. With the mug of water in her hand quickly getting cold, she was forced to just make some hot tea for herself. After several minutes of looking for some tea leaves, she then went back to the couch that held her abandoned bags of chips.

She nonchalantly pushed out everything in the couch to make room for her to lay down, various things dropped down from their safe haven, simply to crash down the floor and left abandoned. Asuka began sipping at her tea while looking at the ceiling, dazing out into the rhythmic sounds of the rain as it hits the cold roof. A few more moments of just staring into the open space before her, she placed the tea cup with all the abandoned mess.

_Better get some rest before I take care of that idiot again._

Her thoughts circled around 'taking care of the idiot', 'what should I cook for dinner', and 'what sickness does Shinji actually have?'. But amongst all of these thoughts, one stood out the most "_Is He going to be alright?"_

She then mentally slapped herself for making room for such a thought. She doesn't have to be too concerned with that idiot. That idiot is not alone, no matter how much he thinks he is. He has friends he can count on, Misato to take good care for him, Ritsuko, Kaji, Wondergirl, and Gendo Ikari. He doesn't need someone like her, someone that'll only make his life worse.

"I don't have a place in his life, I'll always be alone" she said, barely a whisper but still echoed within her heart.

Asuka was lulled into slumber, as if to prevent more tears from her eyes and more sorrow in her heart. Slowly the windows to her soul began to close as she gently falls asleep.

* * *

"Move Toji!"

"Why do _I _have to move, you move Kensuke!"

"Half my shoulder's already wet! Dammit why the hell does it have rain today!"

"Why did the both of you forgot to bring your own umbrellas?"

Three voices echoed through the street, three students walking side by side in the torrent of rain. Toji, Kensuke and Hikari paced themselves hastily towards the apartment Misato rents. All three of them like canned sardines under one umbrella. Kensuke and Hikari never thought that there will be any rain today, so they didn't bother to bring their umbrellas. Toji on the other hand, by some bizarre reason brought his umbrella on a beautiful day earlier. The thought of it puzzled Hikari, making her question Toji about the matter.

"Hey Toji, how come you brought your umbrella today?" Hikari asked, though her voice was slightly muffled by the raging rain, Toji manage to hear her question.

"I-i just did, why the sudden question class rep?" Toji said, without looking at Hikari.

"I was just curious, nobody thought that it was going to rain today, and you happened to brought yours."

"Wait, are you saying that something's wrong with me just because I brought an umbrella on a sunny day?"

"No no no, rather I'm thankful for that, Thanks Toji." Hikari gave a reassuring smile at Toji.

_Thank God for the rain _Toji thought before saying, "I only brought my umbrella cause my sister has been reminding me all the time, nothing to be that thankful bout" Toji replied with his own shy smile.

"E-hem, can you both scoot over now that both of you are done flirting?" Kensuke said, his left side completely drenched by the rain.

"Were not flirting!"

"Were not flirting!"

Both of them said in unison, making them look at each other but only to look, away again to hide their blush. Kensuke on the other hand, manage to squeeze in to at least not let the bag he was carrying get wet. Seeing that the small umbrella really can't shield the three of them, Toji suggested something.

"H-how about we go to that cafe over there, just to let the rain pass" He managed to say at least without stammering too much. He kept thinking about being with the class rep inside a cafe, minus Kensuke of course.

All of them were on an agreement on this, the weather's just too harsh for them too keep going. After a few strides towards their destination, they found themselves in an almost empty cafe. They took a minute to survey the area, Toji looking at the well designed ceiling and Kensuke was staring at the well polished mahogany chairs and tables. Both were dazed at the ambiance the place let out, but were left wondering why no one was inside at the moment. Kensuke looked at Toji to find the answer, but Toji merely shrugged obviously oblivious to it as well.

"Hey! _Hey_! Toji! Aida! Come here both of you!" A sharp command by the class rep. Toji and Kensuke were snapped out of their dazed state as they heard the voice of Hikari. It seemed that when the both of them were busy contemplating at why the area was empty, the class rep was already near the counter trying to register them in.

"Let me just clarify ma'am, a table for three and those two over there are your companions I presume?" the man behind the counter said. He was wearing a simple yet eloquent butler suit, his hairstyle was that of a clean cut and his face was clear. His voice also added to the whole 'gentleman' aura, as it was soothing and respectful. Nothing compared to the two she was just with earlier.

"Yes those two over there walking towards here. Toji, Kensuke Hurry up!" replied the class rep. while trying to call on to her companions.

It took them less than 10 seconds to get where Hikari was standing.

"Hey isn't that Ayanami?" Kensuke said as he searched for their table. His tone a bit more excited than usual.

In the corner table by the transparent window that shows the scenery outside, a lone girl was sitting reading a book of some sort, with her drink beginning to cool down. Rei Ayanami averted her crimson eyes for a second to look at who ever mentioned her name, but after that one moment, she went back to read intently whatever that was occupying her mind. Kensuke on the other hand told Hikari and Toji what he just saw and proceeded to tell them (or beg them) to pick the table near her. Both of them seemed indifferent about the matter and only Kensuke being more excited than usual.

"What's the deal with you getting all excited over just that?" Toji questioned his almost giddy friend. But to no avail, Kensuke was already by the table when he managed to finish his sentence. Hikari's muffled laughter caught his attention as he turned to look at her in confusion.

"What's so funny class rep?" Toji asked, clearly confused as to why the class rep was laughing.

After a few moment of trying to make herself stop laughing Hikari managed to stop and answer Toji.

"Don't you see, clearly he has some kind of interest in her, and seeing that he has other interests besides guns, war machines, and army stuffs is kind of amusing and quite funny." Hikari said as they both walked towards the table near the wall of the cafe.

"Wait a minute, are you saying that Kensuke Aida likes Ayanami?" Toji said in a louder voice than usual, but not loud enough for Kensuke or Ayanami to hear. Hikari titled her head a little to the right with an obvious confused look before saying.

"Is it not obvious? Come on Toji, he stares at her inside the class room, asks Shinji-kun about anything he knows about her, and he gets so excited when he sees her, like he just saw a top secret machine the government uses to fight some kind of alien life form that'll try to begin the 3rd Impact."

Hkari got most of the things right, It's just that Toji never knew Kensuke was staring at Ayanami at class, cause he was staring at someone else instead. And about Shinji, yes he did ask Shinji about somethings about her, but it turns out that Shinji knowledge of her are quite limited, making him do all the research he can. And lastly Kensuke _already_ saw the top secret government machine called the Evangelion. Well, Toji can't do anything but acknowledge the facts she just stated. Hell, at least he has someone he likes and that reassured Toji that Kensuke wasn't some gay guy that'll only stick with his Army fetish for life. Toji actually felt a bit happy about him liking Ayanami but at the same time he felt uneasy about it.

"Yeah, I guess so." the delayed reply of Toji while resuming his walk towards the table Kensuke now occupied. Hikari soon followed his lead. They both sat down, not exactly in juxtaposition, but with a single chair in between them. Beside Toji, Kensuke was busy talking to Ayanami or trying to at least, because the later isn't really responsive to his questions. Toji took a quick glance at the girl that's a good 2 meters away from him and noticed that she was taking a look at what drink to order. In a second, Toji too picked up the menu to look at what kind of drinks they offer.

_Café Au Lait_

_White Chocolate Mocha_

_Turtle Mocha_

_Coffee_

_Espresso_

_Latte_

_Vanilla Latte_

_Caramel Latte_

_Cappuccino_

_Café Bianco_

_Hot Chocolate_

_Hot tea_

"I guess I'll just go with some Cappuccino, what about you Class rep.?"

"Me? well It's kind of hard to pick but I guess I'll try some Caramel Latte and maybe some red velvet cake to go with my drink"

"Red Velvet Cake huh, good choice, how about you Kens- " Toji stopped mid sentence when he noticed that Kensuke isn't really paying attention. Thinking his friend isn't going to order, he then motioned for the waiter to get their orders. The rain still raged outside as both Toji and Hikari stared at the rain drenched scenery outside. Rain. There's always something in every droplet of rain that hits the cold ground, whether it's a blessing for the plant trying to survive the harsh life it has, or a curse that aims to destroy the momentum of a beautiful day.

Humans are always fascinated by the forces of nature, whether it's being speechless at the face of a blazing fire, or the serene silence within the raging performance of the wind and rain. We stand at awe before these natural forces, knowing that those that are so beautiful are always beyond our reach. Such is the same with Rei Ayanami, her aura of mystery, her emotionless face, and sheer beauty she posses. Truly those that are beyond our reach are meant only to be gazed at, like the endless numbers of stars in the heavens, try as we might we can never be close enough to hold them. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try right?

"So Ayanami, how long have you been here?" Kensuke asked the girl sitting in front of him intently reading her book.

"..."

But the question was left unanswered and ignored, yet instead of dampening his spirit, Kensuke became more interested in asking several questions. Though it was like talking to a very beautiful statue, he never got tired of doing so, most of his questions were either ignored or replied with a single nod for approval or a slight shake of the head for disapproval or maybe a single word or two. There were some cases that actually sparked up some kind of conversation like:

"If you don't mind me asking, why do you always read books Ayanami?" Kensuke asked with genuine curiosity. He was expecting it to be ignored, so he was already thinking of another question for her, but instead he heard, or he thinks he heard something like,

"to escape...my cage" he wasn't really quite sure because he wasn't paying attention to the answer that came very softly.

Another question that really lit up some conversation was the subject of (guess who?) Shinji Ikari.

"Did you know that Shinki-kun is sick right now?" Started the conversation.

"Yes, Dr. Akagi told me that he was sick, she also told me that he'll recover if he gets some rest." A smooth and almost emotionless reply from the blue haired girl.

"I think he'll get well soon, Asuka's taking care of him anyway" Kensuke said carelessly.

But he heard no reply, only a single nod agreeing to what he just mentioned. But Ayanami's reaction deemed out of place, and thinking that he said something wrong he began apologizing to her.

"I'm sorry Ayanami"

"Why?"

"Because I think I said something wrong"

"I don't think you said something wrong"

Kensuke let out a sigh of relief, before looking again at the girl that resumed her reading of a book. He decided to observe her for a while, She bore the same emotionless face as she reads through her book, her soft and delicate hand holding and turning the page, her crimson eyes slightly moving from left to right as she progress through the book. She seemed very peaceful when she was reading her book, and it pained him to disrupt her, but it also pained him when he came to realize that the conversations they just had, didn't have any huge significance to her.

"uh...umm, Ayanami do you want to visit Shinji with us after the rain stops?" Kensuke managed to say after gathering enough courage. He secretly crossed his fingers hoping in her agreement.

"Yes, I was planning to check on him too" she said with a hint of worry and care, but stoic in her expressions nonetheless.

Kensuke was loss at words, he never thought that she'll agree to her. He merely nodded and started to ask another question that captured his attention from the start.

"Ayanami, what kind of book is that?"

"A Medical Book"

"Ah, I see"

_for Shinji _

Rain continued to pour outside, not stopping for anything, pushing ever forward. The droplets of rain continued to ravage the city, bringing with it a sense of coolness in to the city. Not noticing the warmth in everyone's heart. It seems that it will never let up, trapping the young boys and girls inside the cafe. And two boys don't mind at all to be trapped here forever if it means they can be with the ones they care for. But the rain will stop, and the sun will surely shine again.


	4. Calm inside the eye of the storm

Shinji Ikari slowly awoke from his dreamless slumber, his eyes wandered about the room he occupied, seemingly looking for something or someone. He observed the motionless furnitures inside the small and enclosed room with his eyes still half awake, a small wooden table, a chair, and small lampshade. He turned his gaze then at the buckets and towels he found earlier, they were left the same in the position they were in a few hours ago. Having realize that nothing has changed after his sleep, except the fact that he was feeling much better, left him feeling a bit disappointed. He tried to get up from the bed that held him captive for several hours by now with all the sleeping he's done, but something soon stopped his action.

~_Fly me to the moon and let me play among the stars... Let me know what spring is like in Jupiter or Mars... In other words hold my hand... In other words darling kiss -~_

_It's Asuka's phone. Should I answer it? Why the heck is Asuka's phone in my room anyway? She must have left it earlier when she checked my temperature._

Shinji thought about the decision long and hard. But time was running out and he faced the dilemma of missing the call or infuriating Asuka if she wakes up because of the ringtone (not that it's bad or anything, just really loud). His time's almost up, and he decided to just pick up the phone and tell them that Asuka's not available at the moment.

Click.

"Asukaaa!" a high pitched voice resounded from the hand held device.

"..." Shinji was stunned momentarily and had to hold the phone a good 2 feet away from him just to salvage his hearing. Who in their right mind would scream your name the moment you pick up the phone?

"I really have something I need to talk to you about! It's about um you know, _him_" The voice coming from the phone now in a good distance from Shinji continued on, judging by the high pitched and girly voice, It most likely belonged to none other than the class rep. Hikari.

"Well anyway, we will be coming over in a few minutes after the rain lets up, unless you don't want us to interrupt your precious moments with you know, _him_"

All this "_Him_" is rapidly getting more and more confusing. He was about to say something about the whole _him_ matter when he heard another voice from the phone.

"Who are you talking to Class Rep?" a deep voice was heard, probably a guy.

"I'm talking to Asuka" A short reply from Hikari.

Silence. Shinji was still listening to the phone, not even mentioning that he was Shinji, not Asuka. He gave the alarm clock beside his bed a quick side glance.

**5:28 pm **

"Well I guess I shouldn't interrupt you, don't want the red devil mad, right?" Toji, who else has the balls to say something like that to Asuka.

"Don't you ever call her like that again in my presence Toji!" and Hikari's loud voice confirmed it. Shinji heard some shuffles then a loud scream of pain that seemed to be in a distance. Toji must have dashed away from Hikari to avoid punishment, but failed to do so.

"Sorry bout that Asuka, But yeah, we'll be coming over there in minute or when the rain lets up, then we can talk more clearly. Good Luck with taking care of Shinji-kun, bye bye."

"w-wait this isn't As-" Beep. Beep. Beep.

_And she hanged up. Great._

After having tried to contact Hikari several times again, only receive a voice mail saying that she will return to him/her immediately, Shinji finally decided to give up. With the knowledge that some people are coming over, he decided to at least make everyone some small snacks and some hot tea. He got up in haste and headed for the door, a few meters aways from him. He paced himself slowly as to not stress his newly recovered body and to not wake up the sleeping Asuka.

But before directly heading for the kitchen, he made a quick detour to the bathroom. Everyone will do as he did if they slept almost all day long, right? Shinji took quick and light steps towards the bathroom that's adjacent to his original destination, the kitchen. He opened the door quietly and proceeded to relieve himself.

_What should I cook, maybe a quick yaki soba and some hot tea would be good for the weather. And what if Asuka wakes up, I should make some for her too, I don't want to get her in a bad mood or anything like that anyway._

After getting the job done, he washed his hands and his face. Then it hit him, something did change when was fast asleep and he only noticed now. The more Shinji thought about it, the more crimson the hue on his face turns and the more confusing the said change is. He glanced again at the mirror to see the reflection it made, and as expected it was still the same as the one a few seconds ago. Shinji's surprised look is still being reflected on the clear mirror and the shirt covering his upper body. The shirt was a simple T-shirt with the Nerv Logo right in the middle and a quote saying "If God is in Heaven, then all's right with the world". And that was the reason for his surprise, that dreaded shirt. Shinji Ikari slept with his plain white shirt that morning if his memory doesn't go coup d'etat on him, and unless he was sleep walking and decided to change his clothes while asleep, somebody else did. Asuka. Or maybe a ghost or even an Angel...not very likely Shinji.

Now that's one more debt he has to pay Asuka for and just thinking about the tremendous amount of work he has to do to pay it back made him shiver slightly. _But if it's for Asuka maybe..._

But a quick glance at the clock mounted atop the mirror stopped his train of thoughts.

**5:49 pm**

"What!11! it's already that late." Shinji exclaimed, while quickly but quietly dashing towards the kitchen to prepare the yaki soba and boil some hot water for the tea. quickly he gathered the ingredients and looked at the recipe book...

Ingredients:

2 packages steamed noodles (150g/package)

1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1/4 lb boneless pork rib

thinly sliced 2 inches carrot

cut into thin rectangles1 green bell pepper

cored and chopped1/4 medium onion

thinly sliced 2 green head cabbage leaves chopped

salt and pepper

4-6 Tbsp yakisoba sauce, or 2 packages of yakisoba seasoning in yakisoba kits

or 4-6 Tbsp Worcestershire saucebeni-shoga (pickled red ginger)

*optional ao-nori (dried green seaweed)

Preparation:

Lightly loosen pre-steamed chuka noodles and set aside. Heat vegetable oil in medium skillet on medium heat. Stir-fry the pork until almost cooked. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to season. Add carrots, onion, and green bell pepper in the skillet and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Add cabbage in the skillet and stir-fry for a minute. Add noodles in skillet. Pour 1/4 cup of water over the noodles and cover the skillet. Turn down the heat to low and steam for a few minutes. Remove the lid and add yakisoba seasoning powder or sauce.

(*Adjust the amount of sauce to your taste.) Stir the noodles quickly. Divide yakisoba into two plates. Sprinkle with aonori and beni-shoga just before serving if available.

"This is just for two servings, better make some more"

* * *

"Hey Aida, hurry up and get what you need before we leave for Asuka's place" Hikari said as she tried to break the spell Ayanami casted on her poor classmate.

It seemed as though Kensuke's focus at the silent beauty was impossible to break or even just divert. But Toji was able to cut the gordian knot by merely playing a single tune in his phone. The quality of the sound wasn't great rather it was pretty bad, one can easily determine that the tune was a recording. With the loud splashes of water and something like a shower running in the back ground it was clear that the place where the recording was made was indeed a bathroom. After a few minutes of just hearing the sound of water, somesort of music can now be heard, a pretty upbeat song but it's hard to say because of the poor recording. It seems like a normal recording, nothing too special.

"Toji what the heck is this?" asked the curious class rep clearly not understanding the point of making them listen to a normal recording of what it seems like a shower turned on in a bathroom.

"Shhh wait for it class rep." a quick reply by Toji

Still the same sound of someone's shower turned on. But a few seconds later the music that was inaudible earlier became louder and clearer. But still nothing too special.

"I can't, were going to be la-...No...no...nooo...Please stop it Toji...I beg you"

Then the real meaning behind Toji's plan hit them. And it hit them hard. And it didn't take more than 2 seconds to awaken the enticed Kensuke Aida, the moment the first few words came out it was clear that Kensuke can't take it any longer.

The music, or whatever you might call the abomination playing in Toji's phone silenced the whole cafe, but only to transform it into a raging hell of haters full of energy that can even outmatch an Evangelion that has gone berserk. Yes that was Toji's triumph card, his hidden ace, the last straw.

Hikari was at a corner now holding her ears as tight a she could, mumbling something that is barely audible, while Kensuke was as red as the Evangelion Unit 02, either furious or really really embarrassed. Even the usual cool aura of the guy with the butler suit was slowly turning into an aura of threat and malice. But what surprised Toji the most was the very unexpected reaction of the usually silent and emotionless beauty called Rei Ayanami, he caught a glimpse of her beautiful face with a slight blush on and with her usually stoic lips turned into an innocent smile and seen her hollowed eyes filled with happiness (if you can even see that) and some slight tear drops in the corner. He even heard a faint giggle or even laughter as one might call it amidst the shouts and howls of his friend turned berserk. Toji might have been the luckiest guy on earth, for a few seconds before everything went black and silent.

One thought filled Toji's mind though, _Kensuke it was helluva worth every single punch, scratch and insult I took. I guess now I know why you fell for her but I my feelings won't waver alright brother?_

* * *

***Authors rants***

well first of sorry for the long as* time to update, was too busy finding time to finish this chapter because of all the games that came out on the psp and the ps3...so don't blame the poor author. :\

well now that summer is here I guess I can update more frequently now and make it a lot better for y'all. hehe

look forward to the next chapter guys and about Toji's secret weapon I'll tell y'all about it next time :D

don't forget to review, constructive criticism is always accepted and some hate flares as well if you want. but please don't be harsh :)


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